Against the night
by Trevor the Enchanter
Summary: Danny knew he didn't have to look at them. They felt the exact same thing he did: despair


Danny wandered around the streets in a daze, as so many now seemed to do. At first, he had held onto hope, a belief that they could somehow triumph against the odds they had faced. However, with the recent news, the recent deaths, he failed to see how any of them were going to live, let alone win. He didn't need to look at them to know what they felt: despair.

He walked slowly, his injuries not fully healed, in spite of his advanced healing ability. Danny had been out there on the front lines, doing his best to defeat them, but even his powers proved insufficient. He had no idea what they were, or why they were doing this, but none of it mattered, really. They had to be stopped, but he didn't see how it could be done.

Others on the streets felt the same way. There was little chatter, little noise, in spite of Amity's size. The only noises that he could hear were people screaming into the sky, begging, praying for a miracle that would save them, but there was no miracle to be found. Danny wanted to believe as much as anyone else, but there was no hope in his eyes, not anymore.

Danny walked into Fenton Works, his head down. Sam, Tucker, and their families were staying here, hoping this place would be safer than their homes. Jack went out into the living room to greet his son, accidentally hitting the wall, as he was still unaccustomed to using a wheelchair. Like Danny, Jack had participated in the fight over Chicago and barely escaped with his life. He would have died, if one of the GIW had not gotten him out of there in time. Danny didn't like the agents and probably never would, but he was still thankful for what they did. _Perhaps they're not all bad. What a waste; thinking about the Guys In White when there aren't many thoughts left to use. _

While his parents had somehow managed to survive, Valerie wasn't so lucky. In spite of her weapons and skill, she fell on the battlefield, along with countless others. Danny still grieved for her death, but he didn't have time to do it for very long. The enemy was heading towards Amity Park and would be there within a matter of hours.

"How are you holding up, son?" Jack asked, the same haunted look in his eyes. He hated ghosts, believed they were evil, but could never have imagined what he had seen.

"I'm doing the same as everyone else: trying to cope with our impending doom!" Danny screamed. "Can you come up with a stupider question? Wait, of course you can!" He grabbed onto the couch, trying to steady. "I'm sorry, Dad; I shouldn't have said that."

"I understand, son; losing someone you love is never easy." Jack smiled, or tried to, but there was no joy to be found here. "Everyone else is in the kitchen, waiting for news." Normally, he would make a comment about a new ghost weapon, or looking forward to hunting and dissecting them, but he didn't say a word about it, which more than anything else, told Danny what his father was enduring.

Danny walked into the kitchen, with Sam and Tucker staying near their parents. Sam sat at the table, tears going down her face. _I never thought I'd see the day Sam would break down like that, though I suppose all things considering, it's not a surprise. _Nobody was in a mood to say much of anything.

"It's good to see you, Danny." Jazz hugged him tightly, burying her head in his shoulder. She refused to let go, knowing it was probably going to be the last time they would see one another.

"How could they possibly do this?" Tucker demanded. "One error, one mistake, one idiot! How does that justify what they're doing to us?" Nobody there had any kind of response for him. Nobody knew what the whole story was, but a GIW expedition went into the ghost zone to investigate a part of it that no one knew anything about. They claimed something attacked them, and that they barely escaped with their lives.

Soon afterwards, the facility in Oklahoma was completely destroyed, with only one survivor. He said that he was kept alive deliberately, to inform the country of their impending doom. Over the next weeks, city after city was destroyed as they moved North, no one able to even slow them down.

At first, people felt that while it would be difficult, America would ultimately prevail. As the weeks turned into months, that was rapidly proved to be a delusion. It was at that time that Danny revealed his abilities to his parents, preparing to go out there and fight. Although it had come as a shock to them, and they originally believed that something had possessed their son, they ultimately accepted him for who he was. Nevertheless, they did not want him fighting on the front lines, but he simply ignored. Something had to be done, and he had a better chance than most.

However, it turned out to be pointless. He held Jazz tightly, shuddering at one of the reports that had gotten through. Indianapolis could not be defended, so the powers that be decided to declare it an open city in order to save civilian lives. It was only too late that they realized that it didn't matter to them. They fired some kind of ectoplasmic bomb, far beyond anything humans could currently build, and reduced the city to rubble. Afterwards, they realized what they were truly facing: a war of extermination.

People were fleeing Amity Park as fast as they could, trying to get to the cities the military had chosen to defend. Attacks were useless, futile, and a waste of resources, so they had chosen a defensive strategy. However, there were a lot of people who either couldn't get out in time or didn't see the point, feeling that they could either die at home or die somewhere else.

Maddie grabbed the remote, turning on the television, hoping to learn that they had come up with something, some kind of new weapon, new plan, anything. They heard a familiar voice on it, and turned around to watch.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman." Vlad Masters sighed. "This is the mayor, and unfortunately, the enemy will arrive in Amity Park for over 4 hours. There is nothing we have to slow them down, and we will not be receiving any reinforcements." Everyone looked at each other. They knew this was the likely scenario, but even so, hearing it come from him filled them with even more fear.

"It is estimated that it will take at least 4 days to evacuate most of the people out of the city. We have continued to broadcast our surrender, we have pleaded for mercy, but they do not respond. There is only one conclusion that we can draw: we stand at the end of our great city. We have endured countless attacks, but we cannot withstand this one.

"In order to buy more people for the evacuation, I ask for everyone capable of fighting to participate in a last line of defense for Amity Park." Everyone looked at each other once again. Danny knew Vlad could sometimes be foolish and heartless, but how could be willingly ask people to fight a battle that couldn't be won?

Vlad continued his speech. "I will not lie to you: survival… is not a possibility. Anyone who joins this effort will not leave to see another day. However, the longer we can hold them back, the longer we can resist, the more time we can buy for our evacuation. I know this is a great sacrifice to ask, but I ask you now…. To step forward for one last battle, one last effort to hold the line against the night." Vlad got up from his desk and walked off. The camera simply stayed there, not moving, as if they didn't know what to do.

Danny was lost in thought. He knew he should be the first to volunteer for this, to be a hero, to save as many as he could, but he was afraid. In the past, he had faced dangerous situations, even risked his life, but this was different. If he joined, there was no chance of coming back alive.

"I didn't know Vlad had any bravery in him." Sam groaned. "I would have thought he would have fled long before this."

"Vlad has his faults, and few know them better than I, but he can be brave if he has to be." Maddie spoke in his defense. While Danny told his parents of his own abilities, he did not mention anything about Vlad's. Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Danny looked at each other, obviously disbelieving. "I'm joining the fight."

"Mom, no!" He screamed, grabbing onto her hand. "I can't lose you! I have a better chance than anyone else!" he was so distressed that he forgot Sam and Tucker's parents were still in earshot.

"We'll survive this; we'll find a way." Jazz whispered. "We've beaten everything else, we've survived countless attacks, and we'll survive this." Even as she said it, though, she couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"I can put up the ghost shield around at least part of the city." Jack remarked. "It'll buy time for when…" he wasn't able to finish.

"And how much good do you think that is going to do?" Mrs. Foley demanded. "You've seen the same news everyone else has! That shield will be useless against their attacks!"

"What would you have us do, just cower and wait for the end?" Danny screamed. "If we're going to fight and die, we'd better use everything we have, and if we're lucky, we'll take some of them with us."

"I'm joining this fight; I'm not going to die begging for mercy." Sam declared.

"No, you're not, young lady!" Mr. Manson exclaimed. "This is no place for a child, and I'm not going to lose you on a suicide mission!"

"I have just as much right to fight as you do!" Sam protested.

"No, you're going to get out of here before they show up!" Mrs. Manson told her daughter. "I love you, Sam, and I can't let you do this."

"Much as I hate to say, this, she's right." Tucker sighed. "This isn't our battle; we'd better leave while we still can."

"I never thought you were a coward, Tucker!" Sam screamed. "It was all fun and games to you, but now that it's actually serious, you show your true colors!"

"Enough!" Jack exclaimed. "Jasmine, Danny, Samantha, Tucker, none of you are going to be involved into this. Yes, son, that includes you. If anyone has to die in this stand, it's going to be me."

"Dad, you know what I can do." Danny turned to him. "Perhaps I could give us more time, maybe even a chance to survive this."

"No, Danny, I can't let you." Jack shook his head. "You've already been injured and I came close to losing you. I know you're truly an extraordinary young man, but you are still a kid, and this battle will be no place for children."

"Jack, you're not in any condition to fight, either." Maddie gulped. "I'm going out there; maybe I'll take down one or two of them." Despite her bravado, she was not only afraid, but terrified. However, she could not let her children go into a battle where there would be no return.

"I'll go too; I don't think it will help much, but if we can get even a few people out, it'll be worth it." Mr. Foley stated.

"Dad, please don't do this!" Tucker pleaded. "We can get out of here; there's still time! We can load up the Specter Speeder and get out of here before they show up!"

"No, son, this is something I have to do." Mr. Foley was frightened, just as everyone else was, but his mind was made up. "Maurice, make sure he gets to safety; I'm counting on you." Her face was covered in tears, and she was unable to reply. She held him tight, kissing him soundly. There was no romance involved, just the acknowledgement that it was the last time that they would ever see each other.

"Jeremy, get Sam to the speeder, and make sure she can't get out." Pamela told her husband. Sam tried to protest, but Pamela interrupted her. "I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't lose you. I love you, even if I haven't said that as often as I should." As Sam wrapped herself around her mother, she developed a new respect for her. She always felt her mother was selfish and didn't care about her, but here she was sacrificing her life for a chance for them to get away.

"I love you too, Mom." Sam whispered, her resistance fading.

Despite protests, Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Jazz were shoved onto the speeder. Tucker's father, Sam's mother, and both of Danny's parents remained behind. As the speeder took off, the RV went in the opposite direction, going to the point of no return. As they sped past the city limits, Danny continued to look out at the sky, the ghost shield lighting it up. He felt he should have fought harder to stay, persuaded his parents that he should fight alongside everyone else. He wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to honor his parent's wishes, or just because he was afraid. _I don't care how long it takes me; they will regret this!_

X X X X X X X X X X

Vlad watched as everyone prepared for their last stand. There was very little time left, and some were looking into the sky, holding onto their weapons anxiously, while others were praying for the safety of their loved ones. All in all, there were several thousand volunteers, far more than he was expecting. If he was a different person, it might have given him hope, but the enemy had destroyed forces a lot stronger than this pretty easily.

"Hey, V-man!" Jack exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here." Vlad thought a wave of hatred would show up at Jack's presence, but to his surprise, there was nothing.

"Well, this is my city and I'd better do my best to defend it, don't you think?" Vlad replied. "So has Daniel managed to come along?"

"He wanted to come, but we couldn't let him." Jack shook his head. "Danny and Jazz have to get out of here; I don't want to have to bury my children." Oddly enough, Vlad felt sympathy for his former friend. He knew Daniel would likely want to stand alongside them, but how hard would it be to persuade him otherwise? He may have been brave, but he was still human. _Come to think of it, I must have been out of my mind to volunteer for this too. _

"Hello, Vlad." Maddie greeted. She held a gun that was nearly as big as she was in her arms, ready to use it at a moment's notice.

"I'd say it was good to see you, but I would be lying; I wish you were out of danger." Vlad walked close to her, wanting to wrap her hands in his own, but knew she would never allow it.

"So do I, but my children have to live." Maddie tried to smile and failed. "It is good to see you, old friend."

"Yes, it is; ready to kick some ghost butt once more!" Jack exclaimed. "I bet they're shaking in their boots when they learn we're here!" That was a lie, and all three of them knew it, but it helped them feel a little better.

"Yes, well, we should be able to give them a nasty surprise, at least." Vlad replied. "Now you'd better get back in your assault vehicle; you're not exactly mobile outside of it."

"I know, but I still wanted to see you." Jack replied. "In spite of any problems we've had in the past, you're still my best friend, and I wanted to see you one last time… before the end."

"It's good to see you as well, Jack." Vlad found that he wasn't entirely lying. He still hadn't forgiven Jack for his actions many years ago, but somehow, it didn't seem so important now. Jack managed to get himself back in the RV, while Maddie stared at Vlad, trying to hide her fear.

"How long do you think we can last?" Maddie asked.

"If we're lucky, a matter of minutes." Vlad replied. "Believe me, I wish I had some hope to offer you. Even so, the longer we hold them, the more people that can escape, and the more time others will have to strengthen their defenses." Vlad wondered why he was not trying to get out as so many others were. _Because I knew Maddie would be here, despite her fear, despite what she knows. I couldn't just do nothing. _

Vlad knew the time to reveal his secret would be soon. The enemy would arrive in less than 45 minutes, and in order to harm them at all, he needed his ghost powers. He doubted either of them would accept him for what he was, but any prejudice they had wouldn't matter for long.

Each second passed by slowly, everyone who had arrived waiting anxiously for what was coming. People built trenches, built foxholes, prepared themselves as best they could. The few aircraft they had continued to circle the area, weapons ready to strike. Closing his eyes, Vlad transformed into Plasmius, having prepared himself for the inevitable.

X X X X X X X X X X

Well, I hope you enjoyed this short story of mine. I'm thinking about writing a second chapter, with the actual battle, but haven't decided yet. In this case, it's not important who or what this enemy is, but how the characters react to this situation.


End file.
